


Are You Mine?

by takemyopenheart



Series: Love Confessions [3]
Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:26:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26394121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takemyopenheart/pseuds/takemyopenheart
Summary: Just as he was ready to open his heart to the love of his life, he lost her all in the same day. But the last thing he’ll ever be is a quitter. He won’t give up. Not on her. It’s a race against the clock, but is he truly too late?
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart), Ethan Ramsey/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Love Confessions [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1885378
Kudos: 16





	Are You Mine?

**Author's Note:**

> Collaboration with Niti (formerly whippedforethanramsey on tumblr)

The city of Boston was bustling with life all around him, but Ethan couldn’t care less even if he tried to in that moment. He walked down the street with an unfamiliar determination. His eyes were focused on a rather chirpy-looking couple that was walking in front of him, oblivious of the fact that he had been following them. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the arm that was hooked around Rachel’s waist. Their conversation was getting drowned out by the sounds of the city, but her giggles and laughter reached his ears, growing louder with each second, and it infuriated him.

Despite his tall figure, he couldn’t catch a glimpse of the man who was responsible for that happiness. The more Ethan tried, the more he seemed to fall behind. Soon, they disappeared further into the crowd. His rage boiled over as he desperately tried to catch up to them. A sense of nausea built in his core by the overwhelming emotions. He called out her name, hoping she’d stop and recognize the sound of his voice, but she was too far gone. The dizziness took over, and he found himself falling to the ground. Time slowed all around him. Her laughter was gone. Her face was nothing but a distant memory. And then, a soft whisper of her name escaped his lips one last time before everything went dark.

He woke up with a jolt, panting heavily as a bead of sweat rolled down his eyebrow. He looked around, expecting himself to be on the concrete pavement in the middle of the street surrounded by a crowd, but instead was met with none of those sights. His nervousness subsided somewhat upon realizing that it had all been just a dream, but it returned as soon as it had left. 

He wasn’t in his bedroom either. “What in the hell?” he mumbled as he whipped his head around to take in the unfamiliar surroundings. The sudden movement caused an abrupt surge of pain throughout his body, informing him of his hangover.

Last night was still a foggy memory. What little he could remember was the conversation he witnessed in the café and him sitting in a bar later that night, gulping down drink after drink. That justified his hangover, but he still couldn’t recall anything beyond that. He cursed himself under his breath. What a mess of a man had he become, and it was all because of love. He could criticize himself and his stupidity later. Right now, he needed to focus on figuring out where he was and how he ended up here.

He racked his brain for all possible scenarios, trying to find the most logical one. The thought of the one situation that he dreaded most of all rushed to his head, but he quickly ruled it out when he noticed the other side of the bed untouched, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

His phone was on the nightstand, though useless as it was dead. He finally focused on the room to get any clues regarding his whereabouts. Judging by the furniture, he could easily tell that it was a guest room, and the interior design of the place reminded him of only one person’s house. 

He quickly sprang to his feet and was met by the sight of his mentor lounging on the couch in the living room with a cup of tea and a newspaper on his lap.

“Oh, you’re up early.” The old man smiled at him when he noticed him standing at the threshold.

Ethan only scowled at Naveen’s cheerfulness. “How on earth did I get here?” Ethan retorted, still unnerved by the fact that he couldn’t remember anything from last night. But wasn’t that the whole point of getting drunk?

“By a cab,” Naveen answered innocently, hoping it’d help, though it only earned him an irritated glare from his younger friend.

“The cab driver wasn’t happy with you, though. Apparently you made him go to a different address twice before you finally decided to come here,” he added. Both of them knew the _other_ address was of Rachel’s apartment and didn’t feel the need to say it out loud.

Ethan groaned, running his hand down his face. "Right when I think I’ve got something good going on for myself, life swoops in and snatches it away from me. I’m terrified of actually being happy because as soon as I am, something terrible happens. I’m starting to think that I’m bound to this lifestyle now. Running when things get tough. Closing myself off, constantly building up indestructible walls.”

“I was going to tell her, Naveen. She was sitting right there in front of me and I couldn’t. I couldn’t gather the courage to talk to the woman I love. She looked so happy without me; it was almost heartbreaking.“ He let out a dejected short chuckle. “I know I should be happy for her, about the fact that she’s moved on, that she’s with someone else now,” Ethan continued, almost as if speaking to himself. “She was on a date with some guy named Alex,” he spat out the name with obvious disdain.

Naveen didn’t ask any questions. Right now, all he could do was listen calmly and he did so as Ethan rambled on.

“I’ve lost her. Just when I let my hopes up, life brought me crashing down. In fact, it’s not anyone’s fault except for mine. I was too late, too much of a coward to accept my own feelings. And why would she waste her time waiting on an old irritable, miserable, cynical coward like me? She’s gone from my life and there’s nothing I can do about it now,” he finished before flopping down on the couch beside Naveen.

“There’s always a way, Ethan. No matter what you think, there is always a way. It’s not the end of the world." He gently patted Ethan’s knee. Naveen had to finally interrupt his bewildered friend. He knew way too well that Ethan was going down an endless spiral of self-pity and wallowing. 

"There is enough time to make things right. But forgive yourself first. I won’t have you speaking about yourself that way. You’re a damn good man, a good friend, and a good partner for Rachel. Don’t say anything else." He put his hand up to finish speaking just as Ethan was about to interrupt. "I know you feel as though it’s all over, but it’s not. Tell her. Don’t run again, Ethan, because I know you’ll drive yourself insane if you don’t tell her. After that, respect what she wants. But don’t beat yourself up over it if it turns out for the worst. Because you’ll come out knowing you at least tried. And that’s all you can do."

Ethan forgot his train of thought because of the sudden interruption and was very glad that it happened. He took a moment to take in the words of his mentor who was right… again. He had to at least try. It was just a first date, after all. It could’ve gone horribly wrong. The guy could’ve been a complete moron. He still had his chance. He owed it to his feelings and to Rachel to at least try.

When he snapped out of his mind, he saw Naveen wearing a knowing smile. He could only assume that the sliver of hope would have been evident all over his face. He did not want to waste another second. “I’m going to talk to her. I need to tell her how I feel. She needs to know that she can still choose me. I mean, the worst that could happen is that she’d reject me.” A feeling of dread gripped his heart at the mere thought of it. He didn’t want to lose her.

“Well, that’s a relief.” Naveen let out an amused chuckle. “I’ve to admit, explaining anything about love and relationships to you can be a little… daunting,” Naveen continued just as Ethan stood to grab his things. "Although, it’d be best if you take a shower before you see her."

Ethan stopped in his tracks as if noticing his terrible condition from his late-night adventure for the first time. “Good point, probably should do that.”

* * *

He headed to Rachel’s apartment after a quick visit to his apartment to freshen up. He couldn’t help but get his hopes up. The entire ride there, all he could do was imagine the reaction on her face when he told her that he loved her. He had forgotten everything else, lost in his own thoughts.

It was still awfully early in the morning, so he wasn’t surprised when no one answered his raps on the door for a while. He knocked again, a little louder this time when the sound of rustling came through the other side of the door and, suddenly, his nerves were a wreck once again. He couldn’t remember a time when he was this nervous.

The door opened to reveal Rachel wearing a black nightdress underneath a burgundy-colored satin robe. Her hair was loose, the tousled strands splayed over her shoulders. Her makeup-free face was as beautiful as he remembered it. She yawned and rubbed the blurry vision away to focus on the person standing in front of her. Finally, her eyes met his.

“Ethan?” she spoke in a hoarse voice, wearing a surprised look on her tired face.

“You really aren’t a morning person, are you?” He chuckled as he took in the sight of her slumped posture and half-hooded eyes. She looked nothing short of adorable, and suddenly everything bad in the world faded away and only they remained.

In the entire month that they had been apart, she was always Dr. Edward for him. But right now, she was just Rachel. _His_ Rachel.

“May I come in?” he prompted when she didn’t say or do anything for a long moment. She stepped aside in response to let him enter.

As soon the door closed behind her, and they stood in the entryway, he shut his eyes and took a deep breath, psyching himself up for what he was about to admit. It had all come down to this. She was standing before him, and he hoped she would accept him into her life. This was the moment.

"Um, Ethan?" he heard her say and blushed a crimson red when he realized he’d been standing awkwardly a few feet away from where she stood in the living room. "I said would you like something to drink?"

He snapped out of his own thoughts and crossed the living room to join her. "Sorry, I just... have a lot on my mind...," he trailed off and mustered a smile to shake off the uneasy tension. "I’m good, though. Thank you."

"Have a seat."

He felt too exposed and awkward talking about his feelings while they stood in the middle of her living room. There were three other residents sleeping right down the hall, after all.

“Actually, can we move this conversation to your room?” he asked, instinctively taking a step towards her room.

Rachel hesitantly stepped in front of him. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” 

He peered at her quizzically when the sight of a lump moving on her bed caught his eyes through her open door. Suddenly, all coherent thoughts left his mind, and all that remained was the sight in front of him. His throat felt dry, and his legs threatened to give out. He had lost her; he was too late.

It was several moments later that he was finally able to speak. “Is that Alex?” he asked, trying to keep his cool.

Her eyes widened in surprise. “How do you know about Alex?” she questioned.

“That doesn’t matter. I-I should leave.” Ethan rushed towards the door. He wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

“Ethan, stop!”

Despite his intentions, his body stopped in his tracks at her voice. The last thing he wanted was an explanation or an apology from her. She wasn’t wrong in moving on. So, he spoke before she had the chance to. 

“Rach, look, you don’t have to justify yourself. I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. You’ve moved on and I understand.”

“Wait, what?” A look of bewilderment spread across her features.

" _Oof_ , you weren’t exaggerating when you told me that he was a hot piece of ass." An unfamiliar voice suddenly broke into their conversation. They followed the sound of it to the beautiful woman standing at the threshold of Rachel’s room.

“Alex, shut up!” Rachel sputtered with widened glaring eyes as color filled her cheeks.

“T-That’s Alex?” His voice came out in a whisper as his eyes darted between the two women, his face mortified by the realization of his mistake.

“Yeah, of course I am. Hi, Alexa Pearce. Rachel’s childhood friend. More like her sister. In fact, more like her twin. No, we’re so similar that I’m basically Rachel.” She extended her hand with a wolfish grin on her face.

“Hello, Alexa. It’s nice to meet you.” Ethan reached forward despite all the confusion. Alex moved to take his hand but instead pulled him into a hug. He heard her sigh against him. “It’s exactly how I imagined it would be.”

He went rigid, frozen in place, too stunned to say or do anything.

Rachel laughed at the expression on his face. “Stop messing with him, Alex. You’re not Phoebe, and he’s not Will.”

“Yeah, he’s better,” she replied in a contented tone.

Ethan had no idea as to what was going on or what their absurd conversation meant and concluded that it might be one of their inside jokes. Just as Rachel noticed his discomfort, she decided to relieve him from Alex’s mischiefs.

Much to his relief, she pulled him out of the very awkward and surprisingly long hug. Still holding his arm, Rachel pointed a finger at him while looking at her friend. “ _Mine_ ,” she stated matter-of-factly. It was just a word, but his stomach tumbled over when she said it. 

A goofy smile spread across his face. “Jesus, I must look so stupid right now,” he muttered, though neither of them looked in his direction.

Alex lifted her hands up in mock surrender and soon, she and Rachel were lost in a fit of giggles.

Finally, Rachel spoke, trying to explain her unexpected presence to Ethan. “So, Alex and I met after a _very_ long time yesterday, and we had a lot to catch up on, so she insisted on staying overnight.” 

“Yeah, that is _not_ what happened. I _had_ to because your drunk ass begged me to stay so that you could whine more about your grumpy doc,” Alex interrupted, totally missing the horror that filled Rachel’s face.

From the corner of her eye, Rachel could see Ethan stifling a laugh by the way his fingers played over his lips, as well as the hint of an amused smile hiding behind them. His only response was an awkward nod of his head.

"Yeah, no need to get into the details right now. Right?” Rachel interjected with a nervous cackle. “So, Alex, think you’ll be fine here on your own? I think I’ll step out for a bit." Rachel motioned her head towards Ethan, giving her a pointed look.

"Oh! Sure. Yeah, have fun you crazy kids." She wiggled her eyebrows, causing Rachel to roll her eyes, and disappeared towards the kitchen, flicking her gaze up and down Ethan’s form as he stared at Rachel.

"Don’t mind her. Um, let me just go get dressed. Would you like to take a walk through the park?"

There was a hopeful gleam in her eye he couldn’t miss. "Yes. I’d like that very much."

She nodded her head in agreement and quickly got dressed in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a cardigan sweater, one that reminded her much of Ethan’s own.

* * *

The children’s gleeful laughs rang throughout the park. Joggers ran for their morning workout, friends partook in soccer matches and frisbee games, and couples young and old walked hand in hand. The clouds had dispersed to reveal the bright sunshine— a complete contrast to yesterday’s weather. It was breezy, though not too cool that the city couldn’t enjoy a day out in the busy park.

They strolled side by side in comfortable silence, and Ethan couldn’t help but go back to the nightmare he’d had that morning. Perhaps the man beside her had been him all along.

She stared perplexed as he suddenly broke out into a roar of deep laughter. "What’s so funny?"

"It’s just that this isn’t at all how I imagined this unfolding. And I can honestly say I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders..." His laughter eased every tense muscle in his body.

"I can tell." She smiled, putting a hand on his arm.

He jolted at the sensation. Tingles spread throughout the area she touched, and he put his hand over hers before interlocking their fingers together. It felt so natural, like their hands were made for each other.

He couldn’t delay it any longer. His heart thumped in his chest as they stood beneath the shadow of a red maple tree. Ethan turned to face Rachel, taking both her hands in his and held his breath for perhaps one of the biggest moments of his life.

“I struggled for the longest time to understand the concept of love. And I know my mother leaving my father had a lot to do with it. It was easy to refute it when I witnessed the damage she inflicted. She never loved him. She never loved me, otherwise she would never have left us.” He stared at the ground, the apprehension slowly creeping in, but she remained by his side, listening intently as he spilled and confronted the reason he drove her away. 

“But since meeting you… “ He lifted his head to meet her broken eyes, the sadness in them evident as she heard him speak. “You’ve been slowly tearing down the walls I put up 25 years ago. It just took me so long to realize it… and I’ll never forgive myself for wasting that time and for hurting you… I’m so sorry, Rach.”

“Ethan, listen to me. You’re not the only one with regrets.”

“What do you mean?”

“I also owe you an apology for not being more understanding and for not being there for you when I should have. I should have known it wasn’t easy for you. After everything you went through, that leaves wounds that take years to heal. You’re still healing, and I should have understood that.” Her hand tightened, as if she was passing on the strength he silently pleaded for. 

“I was just so terrified of letting you in because I was afraid you’d see that I’m nothing except a broken man and not the man you think I am.” 

“You’re all that and more, Ethan. I love you, all of you, all your imperfections, all your scars, all your demons. You are not a perfect man, Ethan. That’s what made me fall in love with you. I don’t want a perfect man, I want you. If you let me, I will always be here for you. I’ll cheer you on during your wins, and I’ll hold you up when you need strength,” she spoke softly, her melodious voice stirring his heart’s storm into a calm.

“Will you catch me if I fall?” Ethan whispered, voice heavy with unshed tears and laced with vulnerability. 

“Cross my heart.” Rachel looked into his eyes, squeezing his hands.

He was surprised to find that his former nervousness disappeared. He didn’t feel a sliver of it as she stared into his eyes, full of all the love he’d come to realize he reciprocated with his entire being.

He couldn’t help the smile tug on his lips as he thought of all they went through to get to this moment. Perhaps it would go awkwardly, perhaps it wouldn’t, he didn’t care. He just wanted to finally say the three words he’d been desperate to tell the woman who stood in front of him.

"There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you, Rachel." All traces of a smile faded, and he stared intently into her eyes. "But first, I want to apologize for having been the biggest coward known to man, for running away from you, and for all the hurt I know I caused. And I just want to say, that no matter what happens, you’ll always hold a special place in my heart because, dammit, no one has ever made me feel the way you do. Every moment with you by my side has helped suppress the abandonment I’ve carried throughout my life. You filled that missing space and made me feel alive again. All the colors burst with vivid intensity every time I look into your eyes, god dammit. I don’t care how awfully sappy that sounds. I don’t care about hiding how I truly feel anymore because, Rachel... I love you. I love you with my entire heart and with every fiber of my being. I love you so much, and from this moment on, I will show you just how much you mean to me. I’ve let you into my heart, and I plan to keep you there, Rachel. Nothing else is more precious to me than you, and I’ll stand by your side every step of the way, walk with you, encourage you, and support you. I love the strong woman that you are. I love your wit, your intelligence, your fearlessness, your ferocity, your vivaciousness... every single thing about you. You’re beautiful to me in every way... You’re my person. There’s no one else but you."

He extended his hand to wipe the running tears on her cheeks. She stared at him through the blurry vision, smiling a wide grin from ear to ear. It was everything and more she ever thought she’d hear. She had hope that perhaps someday it would happen. And it did. Her dream had been realized in those heartfelt words. They reached her and found a home in her heart.

“What I’m trying to say, Rach, is that I’m yours, completely and devotedly. Are you mine?” His fingers tilted her chin up, holding her gaze expectantly. The warm smile illuminating her face was a reassuring relief.

"I love you so much, Ethan," was all she could say when she engulfed him in a tight embrace and pressed her lips onto his. "I’m yours, Ethan. Always."

He lifted her off the ground, holding his entire world in his hands. It was perfect. She was perfect. This moment would stay with both of them for a long time.

Happy endings don’t always happen, but this glimpse into the lives of Ethan Ramsey and Rachel Edward proved that they sometimes do.


End file.
